Sail-gromet



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM W. WILCOX, 0F MIDDLETOWN, CONNECTICUT.

SAIL-enormer.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 27,016, dated January 31, 1860.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM W. WlLcox, of Middletown, in the county of Middlesex and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and Improved Gromet for Sails; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure l represents a top view of my gromet, when attached to a piece of canvas. Fig. 2 is a vertical central section of same. Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are views of the three parts of my gromet before they are connected.

Similar letters of reference in all the ligures refer to corresponding parts.

My invention relates to metallic gromets, and in order to fasten them properly it is necessary to make the anges, which surround the eyes of the gromets, sufficiently large to enable them to take a good hold of the canvas. With all the metallic gromets, as now constructed, there is, however, a serious difficulty, namely, if the canvas is rotten, or if some portion of it wants repairing, the gromets can not be taken olf without throwing away that flange to which the eyelet is attached. For this reason, I employ an eyelet separate from both flanges, whereby I am enabled to save both flanges, if I have to take off the gomet even after it has been in use for a long time, and at the same time the flanges can be cast and made of cheap metal, such as iron, and copper, or brass must be used for the eyelet only, so that my gromet can be made cheaper than those now in use, and that they are more economical if the canvas is to be repaired, while they can be attached with equal facility to any now in use. In order to enable my flanges to take a good hold of the canvas, I have also constructed them, one with an annular projection, and the other with a correspondinor groove, which will be hereinafter more fuly explained.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention I will proceed to describe it.

The anges, A B, are cast of malleable iron and galvanized in order to protect them from rust. They may, however, be made of any other suitable metal, if it is desired. The flange, A, has an annular groove, a, turned in its face, leaving a projecting rim, a', around its edge and a projection, a, around the hole, c, in its center. The flange, B, on the other hand, is constructed with an annular projection, b, to correspond to the groove, a, but considerably narrower so as to make room for the double thickness of canvas, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The hole in the center of the flange, B, is equal to the hole in the center of the flange, A, just large enough to receive an eyelet, C, a perspective view of which is represented in Fig. 5. From this view it will be seen that said eyelet resembles in its form those eyelets which are in common use for fastening together sheets of paper, being only larger in proportion, and stronger according to the place it is expected to fill. The central holes in the flanges, A B, are counter-sunk so as to admit the turned edge of the eyelet.

In order to attach my gromets a hole is cut into the canvas just large enough to ad mit the eyelet, the flanges, A B, are placed on the canvas, one on each side of said hole, and the eyelet is passed through the flanges and fastened by means of a punch and die in the usual manner. By means of the proj ection, Z), and groove, a, the canvas is firmly retained between the two flanges, and if worn out the eyelet can be removed and the same flanges can be fastened to a new piece of canvas, nothing being Vrequired but a fresh eyelet. At the same time by making the eyelets separate from the flanges, the latter can be made of cheap metal, such as cast iron, and the eyelets only have to be made of brass, or copper.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The employment of a separate eyelet C in combination with the flanges A, B, as and for the purposes herein shown and described.

WILLIAM W. WILCOX. l/Vitnesses:

LEONARD Bunnows, STEPHEN BROOKS. 

